2010 International Trombone Festival in Texas

Max and I met in Frankfurt Airport, and after only 7 hours of flight and bit of a rough landing, we arrived in Austin with a beautiful evening sky.

 

Arriving in Austin the first thing we experienced was the great Texas Barbeque.

 

Max set up his table with the Thein trombones including the new American Style Thein Tenor and Bass trombone.

It was just a small Thein table due to the limited luggage he could bring on the plane, but the instruments were well received by the visitors.

 

Ian Bousfield and Johanna.

Discovering some unusual looking trombone. The design reminded me of pluming work.

 

42 exhibitours in 3 rooms. It was an amazing show of trombones where you could find almost every trombone or mouthpiece the world has to offer. Hundreds of trombone players were trying out instruments at the same time. My friend Ben van Dijk wrote on facebook:" it sounds like thousands of Vuvuzelas". True!

 

Here is the trombone bell tree by Sheridan brass.

 

On the first day of the festival, I played a recital in the recital studio at the univesity of Texas.

The program included a sonata by Loillet, Strauss' Nocturno, Saint Saens' Cavatine, Wagner's aria "Wotan's Farewell" as well as the Ballade by Frank Martin.

Performing for the very first time at such a big festival I totally underestimated what it means to play in front of so many great trombone players. As I walked on stage I saw Ralph Sauer, Ben van Dijk, Jim Markey and Niels-Ole Bo Johansen in the audience. All great artists who I have respected and admired for years. My reaction was a totally dry mouth as I have never experienced before. Only throughout the concert it got better piece by piece, getting slowly used to the situation.

With the last two pieces of the program I felt totally myself again.

After the concert I felt a bit down but the first person to show up behind the stage was Ralph Sauer congratulating me and telling me how much he liked my performance . After mentioning how I felt during the concert, he said : "welcome in the club". We all have experienced this before and it happens to everyone at one point.

Ralph, you cannot imagine how much this meant to me! You are one of my trombone heroes, and I have been listening to your records all my trombone playing life.

Then Ben showed up together with Max and said the same. It was wonderful to be supported by such great friends.

 

With my hero Ralph Sauer after my recital.

With Max Thein, Jim Markey and his friends from New York.

Jim Markey performed one of the most outstanding concerts I have ever experienced on a bass trombone, a firework nearly unbelievable technique and perfection. He made it sound like playing bass trombone was the easiest thing in the world!

Exploring Austin in the evenings.

 

My friend from Denmark Niels-Ole Bo Johansen, Trombone Professor from The Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus Denmark, made a lecture that was interesting and entertaining at the same time about the Danish trombone tradition and introduced wonderful trombone music by Danish composers which was forgotten for many years. He has rediscovered these pieces and published them in a new edition. Samples of his new CD recording and 3 CDs with these very lyrical pieces were well received by the trombone enthusiasts.

 

Ben van Dijk performed an outstanding concert together with the University trombone choir conducted by Nathaniel Brickens.

Ben filled the hall with his amazing sound and emotion. The audience loved it and Ben received standing ovations from the full concert hall. It was a  concert that went straight under the skin.

Ben signing autographs for his fans.

With Ben and Jessica Buzbee from Iceland.

Ben, Jessica and Max Thein.

A trombone student from Korea who I met at the Jeju Brass festival in 2007.

Stephen Fissel from the Seattle Symphony fell in love with the new Thein American Style Bass Trombone.

 

I had never had an opportunity to hear Michel Becquet live and was really exited to hear him at this year's ITF.

Unfortunately Michel got ill and had to cancel his trip to Texas. Jacques Mauger and Jörgen van Rijen played a wonderful recital in his place and in his honor and gave the audience an Idea how Michel would have sounded.

Jacques Mauger and Jörgen van Rijen in the concert.

Max and I made a new friend at this festival: Zachary Bond, a truly taleted and musical American bass trombonist and a super nice guy.

Zachary will help to develop the new Thein Universal Bass Trombone, a new horn handcrafted in Germany but in an American style.

At the end of this amazing festival, Zachary and I decided to do a recital together in the next International Trombone Festival in 2011 in Nashville. Our idea is to do a concert featuring the bass and alto trombone, as it is seen here on the picture.